After the crazy bus ride I went to the Quilotoa Lodge, a very nice lodge newly opened and where my friends were staying. I had a delicious breakfast while they were still in bed and had a great view of the mountains and town. After eating and saying good morning I took a short hike to the top of the hills behind the lodge and had a beautiful 360 degree vista of the surrounding mountains as well as Volcans Illinizas, Chimborazo and Cotopaxi. Quite a sight!
Next, it was on to the lake and a hike down...almost all the way...it was tough coming...

We caught the chicken bus out of Latacunga through small villages along a windy dirt road for about 95km. THe road winds its way through the Andes along paths more suited for 4wds rather than busses. It didnt take us long to realise that the back seat was the worst place to sit. It was pretty strange to see our bus reversing along these cliffside trails to let another bus pass in the other direction.
We arrived at Chugchillan at about 4 in the afternoon and stayed at a lovely hostel called the Cloud Forrest ($16 a night incl meals). Meals...

If only for the bus journey the trip, time and effort was worth it. BUt there`s more!!
The lake is every shade of turquoise imaginable, and all set about 500m down in a volcanic crater of the hugest volcano. Of course I couldn`t just stand there and take photos, I had to go for a walk around the crater. The local boys said it would take about four hours, so I thought I had plenty of time, and the peaks didn´t look too unmanagable, so off I went.
Every hundred metres or so, a small child would appear out of nowhere and ask me`¿Donde vas?...

Ellen: We had read (and were told by people in Latacunga) that the only bus out of Chuchilán to Lake Quilotoa was at 4:30am, in the front of town. So Mama Hilda said, sure, we could take that, or, if we would rather, we could catch the 6:30 right outside their door! 6:30 is still pretty early, but it sounded so much better! We got that one and met up with the Austrian woman we had walked around the Saquisilí market with the day before, and a few people she had met up with. The ride to the lake was a very pretty but very sleepy hour or so....